Finding the Father
by Dr. Michaela Quinn
Summary: After being artifically inseminated, Mary Jo Shively decided she couldn't raise this child alone. Even with the help of Julia, Carlene, Allison, Anthony and Bernice it needs a father. She goes searching and finds the most unbelievable person is the father
1. Mary Jo Wants to Find the Father

**A/N: This takes place after **_**Picking a Winner**_**, only Mary Jo hasn't lost the baby. She is now 23 weeks.**

It's a cool spring day in Atlanta, Georgia. Outside was a sign with "Sugarbakers and Associates" on it. Inside the house were Carlene Dobber, Julia and Allison Sugarbaker, Mary Jo Shively, and Anthony Bouvier.

"Julia, why can't we buy a bigger building? This house is too small for our business." Allison whines.

"It may be small for New York City, Allison. But in Atlanta, it's fine!" Julia hollers. Mary Jo and Carlene just look at each other.

"Whoa." Carlene mouths to Mary Jo. The phone rings.

"Sugarbakers." Julia says answering it. "Hang on sweetie… Mary Jo, its Claudia." Mary Jo walks over to her desk and picks up the phone.

"Claudia, what's wrong?" Mary Jo asks. "Okay… Okay… Bring him on over. We won't care… Alright. See you then. Bye."

"What's up?" Carlene asks.

"Claudia has to go to work early and asked if it was okay if she brought Quinton over." Mary Jo responds.

"Sure. We all love Quinton. He's so sweet. Even at 11." Julia says.

"That's what I figured." Mary Jo responds. The phone rings again.

"Hello Sugarbakers." Carlene says. "Yes, we can send somebody out. See you later." Carlene hangs up the phone.

"Who was it?" Mary Jo asks.

"Anthony, Bernice wants you to go pick her up." Carlene replies.

"I am on my way out Carlene. Are you ready for our test on the law making process?" Anthony asks.

"No, I'm not ready. Scared, because I can't study." Carlene responds.

"Study!" Mary Jo exclaims.

"I'm sorry. I will." Carlene says getting out a text book.

"Oh Mary Jo, how has your search been looking for the father?" Allison asks with a disgusted look on her.

"I am starting my search today. I am starting at the fertility clinic and seeing where that can get me." Mary Jo replies.

"I just hope you find what you're looking for." Julia responds.

"Me too." Mary Jo says sipping a cup of coffee.


	2. The Clinic

**A/N: I am truly sorry that it has taken me so long to write another chapter!**

Standing outside the clinic are Mary Jo, Carlene, and Julia.

"I don't know why you two had to come with me." Mary Jo says.

"We weren't letting you go alone. We are worried about what's going to happen when you find out who the father of your child is." Julia replies.

"I can go alone. It's not going to hurt me. I am just wanting to find him before this child is born and never knows him." Mary Jo responds.

"I thought you didn't want the father to be with the child." Carlene says confused.

"I didn't. I've thought about it though. The child, especially if it's a boy, needs to have its father." Mary Jo says. Just then, a man pushes past her. "Excuse me." She says walking around him.

"Well, then let's go in." Julia replies holding the door open. Mary Jo and Carlene walk past her. They go over to the front desk.

"Hello." The woman behind the counter says. "Ms. Shively, it's nice to see you again."

"Yes… I was wondering if I could see my file." Mary Jo replies.

"Yeah, let me just find it." She turns around and looks in the file cabinet, and pulls out a manila envelope that had Mary Jo's name on it. "Is this all?" She asks turning around.

"Also, I was wondering if you knew who my donor was." Mary Jo says.

"Are you kidding? You expect us to keep track of this?" She questions.

"I thought that you always kept records like that." Mary Jo replies.

"Do you have the paper where we chose your donor? If you have that we can probably find out who the donor is. Because we have records of whom each donor was, and who we put them with." She states.

"Then why can't you look me up and find out?" Mary Jo asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Because we don't do it by person, we do it by donor. If you can find the paper that says who your donor is, then we can find out just exactly who the donor was." She says. "Now, why exactly do you want to know? I have never had a woman ask who her donor was. Usually, women come to clinics because they don't want to know who is fathering their child. If they wanted to know who the man was they wouldn't have gone through us." The woman says.

"Well thank you. I didn't want to know before, but now I do and I can't seem to figure out any other way to find out, but ask you or every man in Atlanta. If you can help me, it would make it easier." Mary Jo says spacing out.

"I can help you. Just come back with that paper in a few days and we will try to find out who he is." She replies.

"Thank you." Mary Jo says as she walks out of the clinic.

"Do you still have that paper?" Carlene asks looking at Mary Jo.

"I have it somewhere. I have to go home after work and find it.

"Are you sure it's still not in your desk?" Julia asks.

"No, I took it home to put it in my filing cabinet, but it never got there, as far as I can remember." Mary Jo says.

"Looks like you have some searching to do if you want to find that baby's father." Julia states.

"I know Julia." Mary Jo replies. "I know."


	3. Searching For the Papers

Julia, Carlene, and Anthony walk into Mary Jo's house with Quinton.

"Mary Jo! Are you here?" Carlene calls out.

"What happened here?" Anthony asks.

"I think I know what's going on. Quint, why don't you try to find your way up to your bedroom." Julia says tapping his butt to head to the stairs.

"Bye." Quint says as he heads up the stairs.

"Come on Carlene. We'll find Mary Jo." Julia says stepping over a box in the middle of the hallway. There are boxes strewn all over the living room. Papers are covering the entire floor, the couch, and the table. The closet in the living room is open and the light is on. Julia and Carlene walk over to the closet.

"Mary Jo? Are you in that closet?" Carlene asks. They see movement in the closet. A person stumbles out of the closet. Her hair is a mess and she has a chewed pencil between her teeth. She is holding several manila envelopes. She is wearing a bathrobe and slippers.

"Mary Jo? What's going on?" Julia asks her.

"I have been looking all night for that paper. I haven't found it yet." Mary Jo replies.

"So you let your house turn to shambles by looking for that paper?" Julia asks.

"I have to find it. I have to find out who the father of my child is." Mary Jo states staring at the papers in her hands.

"Don't run yourself ragged looking for that. Maybe you won't find the father. Maybe you will. Does he really need to be in the child's life if he doesn't want the baby. What if it some married man who gives sperm for money and he can't be with you?" Carlene asks with her head cocked to the side.

"Carlene, even if that is the case, I want to meet him and say thank you for what he has done for me." Mary Jo replies flipping her hair back.

"Okay." Carlene responds. Julia picks up some papers off the floor.

"Don't touch that!" Mary Jo screams. Carlene and Anthony jump.

"What is this?" Julia asks picking up a greasy piece of paper.

"I haven't gone through that pile yet. I dug everything out of the house. I have kept every paper for the last 35 years." Mary Jo replies. Julia goes to put the envelope on the couch. After laying it on the arm, it falls off onto the floor. When it falls open, Carlene leans down and looks inside.

"This is an 8th grade report card." Carlene states.

"Come on Mary Jo. Let's get out of here. We will find it later." Julia says taking her arm.

"No, I have to find it." Mary Jo replies. After saying that she finds a yellow paper sticking out of another folder. She walks over to it and leans down to pick it up. She pulls it out of the folder to find out that it is-

TO BE CONTINUED…


	4. Julia, Anthony and Carlene Help

**A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written a chapter… I've been pretty busy recently.**

Previously: "Mary Jo? Are you in that closet?" Carlene asks. They see movement in the closet. A person stumbles out of the closet. Her hair is a mess and she has a chewed pencil between her teeth. She is holding several manila envelopes. She is wearing a bathrobe and slippers.

"Mary Jo? What's going on?" Julia asks her.

"I have been looking all night for that paper. I haven't found it yet." Mary Jo replies.

"So you let your house turn to shambles by looking for that paper?" Julia asks.

"I have to find it. I have to find out who the father of my child is." Mary Jo states staring at the papers in her hands.

"Don't run yourself ragged looking for that. Maybe you won't find the father. Maybe you will. Does he really need to be in the child's life if he doesn't want the baby. What if it some married man who gives sperm for money and he can't be with you?" Carlene asks with her head cocked to the side.

"Carlene, even if that is the case, I want to meet him and say thank you for what he has done for me." Mary Jo replies flipping her hair back.

"Okay." Carlene responds. Julia picks up some papers off the floor.

"Don't touch that!" Mary Jo screams. Carlene and Anthony jump.

"What is this?" Julia asks picking up a greasy piece of paper.

"I haven't gone through that pile yet. I dug everything out of the house. I have kept every paper for the last 35 years." Mary Jo replies. Julia goes to put the envelope on the couch. After laying it on the arm, it falls off onto the floor. When it falls open, Carlene leans down and looks inside.

"This is an 8th grade report card." Carlene states.

"Come on Mary Jo. Let's get out of here. We will find it later." Julia says taking her arm.

"No, I have to find it." Mary Jo replies. After saying that she finds a yellow paper sticking out of another folder. She walks over to it and leans down to pick it up. She pulls it out of the folder to find out that it is-

a brunette male in the state of Georgia.

"Well that's just great! Why can't they give me a name?" Mary Jo asks.

"Mary Jo what's the problem?" Julia asks.

"Look at the name of my baby's dad! Just look at it!" Mary Jo hollers thrusting the paper towards Julia.

"Mary Jo Shively, mother; father is a brunette male in the district of Georgia." Julia reads aloud.

"What's that mean?" Carlene asks.

"It means that we still don't know who the baby's father is!" Mary Jo screeches.

"Mary Jo! That screaming isn't very good for you, the baby or for us. We will find out who the father is." Julia scolds. She looks at Carlene. "What it means is that yes, there is no identified father for the child, but that he lives in Georgia and he has brown hair."

"Great, that should be easy enough." Carlene says excitedly.

"Yeah, let's just track down every white, brunette male in the state of Georgia and ask, "did you ever give sperm to a bank in Atlanta because I think you might be the father of my child?" Mary Jo asks rolling her eyes.

"We could do that!" Carlene says innocently.

"Come on Mary Jo, knock it off. We just have to keep searching. I have Anthony and Allison searching day and night to try to help and find him. It won't be easy, but maybe we can find him before this baby actually gets here." Julia says.

"I hope so. I want my baby to have a father." Mary Jo states.

"Well first off, we are going to get you into bed." Anthony says.

"Yes, you aren't coming to work today. You are going to rest. I am sure that Allison, Carlene and I can handle your work today." Julia replies helping Mary Jo up off the floor. Julia and Anthony carry Mary Jo to her bedroom.


	5. Mary Jo's Forced Day Off

When Mary Jo wakes up a few hours later she sees Carlene sleeping in a chair by her door. Finally, she smiles remember what happened last night. She gets out of the bed and tiptoes over to the closet. She pulls a white shirt, a brown dress jacket, and a long jean skirt out of her closet and puts it on her bed. Carlene wakes up as Mary Jo takes off her robe.

"Where do you think you're going?" Carlene asks sleepily. She repositions herself to be more comfortable.

"I was planning to go to work. I have a lot of stuff to do today." Mary Jo replies unbuttoning her nightgown.

"You aren't going into work. I was instructed to make sure that you stay in bed. Julia won't be too happy when she finds out that you are out of bed." Carlene states.

"Oh Julia can't do anything. She's not even here." Mary Jo responds.

"Really?" Carlene questions. Then she opens the door. "Julia! Anthony! Allison! Mary Jo is trying to fly the coop!" There are loud footsteps as Julia and Anthony rush up the stairs. Allison follows a few steps behind.

"What are all of you doing here? Don't we have work to do?" Mary Jo asks looking at Julia.

"I closed the store for today." Julia replies.

"You what?" Mary Jo exclaims.

"I closed the store so that we could all be here to make sure you get the rest you need. We've been here all night; except for Allison who showed up a few hours ago. Carlene is going to be manning your bedroom making sure you are in bed all day long. Anthony is going to help make sure Claudia and Quint get to school and home as well as making sure they get their homework done. After that, Ted will come pick them up before they eat dinner and they will stay with him for a few days." Julia starts to say.

"No! I don't want them to be at their dad's." Mary Jo responds loudly.

"That's not really your choice. He isn't going to hurt them. He's their father. I am sure they are going to be fine while we try and get you to calm down. Now, I got my doctor to prescribe a sedative so we've also got that if you try to make a break for it." Julia replies.

"You wouldn't dare. I don't believe this. Why in the world are you locking me up in my own house?" Mary Jo asks.

"You just need to rest. We care about you and we want you to take it easy. You've been running on adrenaline lately and that's not good for you. Get some rest and then you can come back to the office tomorrow." Julia replies.

"What if I protest?" Mary Jo questions.

"Just don't. It will be a lot easier for all of us if you just go to sleep. My job in this house is to make sure that all the doors and windows stay locked. If you don't try to make a run for it my job is easier, and so is Carlene's." Allison states.

"What are you going to do?" Mary Jo asks looking at Julia.

"You made quite a mess downstairs last night. I'm going to clean up the kitchen, including Claudia and Quint's breakfast dishes from this morning, and then I will work on cleaning up the living room and all the other rooms that you've destroyed in this house." Julia says.

"Mary Jo, I love you like a sister, please don't make me have to do something I'm not going to like." Carlene says with tears in her eyes.

"Oh Carlene, I would never try to hurt you on purpose." Mary Jo replies.

"Then please just do what we ask and stay in bed." Carlene says.

"Okay. I'll be a good little girl and stay here until I can get out." Mary Jo replies.

"Thank you. Now if we can trust you, Carlene is going to come downstairs and help me. We are also going to be talking about business." Julia says.

"Okay. I think I will be okay. Can I come downstairs sometime?" Mary Jo asks. Julia walks over and helps Mary Jo get back under the blanket on her bed.

"Eventually, as soon as you get a good rest you can come back downstairs and join the rest of us." Julia replies tucking her in.

"Julia, I'm 35 years old, I don't need somebody to tuck me in." Mary Jo states rolling over onto her side.

"Just don't get up. We will back up to check on you later. Right now I have a lot of work to do." Julia says. Julia, Allison, Carlene and Anthony walk out of the bedroom and close the door.

_Several hours later_

Mary Jo walks down the stairs to her second story home and sees Allison and Anthony sitting on the couch drinking coffee.

"Julia, Mary Jo is up." Anthony calls out into the den. Julia walks out and comes over to Mary Jo who is standing there in her robe and slippers with matted flaming red hair.

"Are you feeling better?" Julia asks hugging her.

"Yeah, I'm not so nervous anymore. I feel like I'm completely rejuvenated." Mary Jo replies.

"Good." Julia pauses. "Here." She hands Mary Jo a cup of coffee. "When Anthony said that you were in here I got you a cup of coffee. We made some in your coffee maker, I hope that's okay."

"Yeah, that's fine." Mary Jo says after taking a sip of it.

"Well come sit down. We found some papers that we thought you might want to take a look at later on." Julia states.

"Okay." Mary Jo takes another sip of her coffee. "What time is it?"

"It's about 11:30. If you are feeling better we may not end up sending your kids home with Ted." Carlene replies.

"Thank you." Mary Jo says as she sits on the couch next to Carlene.


	6. Returning to Work

Mary Jo walks into Sugarbakers' at 7:30 on Tuesday morning.

"Good morning." Carlene says from her desk. Mary Jo hangs up her coat and glares at Carlene.

"Good nothing Carlene. For the last 4 days I've been bound in my own home, not able to leave for anything. I was just this morning able to actually come back to work. You all have scrubbed my house, made my dinner, helped my children when they needed it, and I am sick of it. I am a very independent person!" Mary Jo exclaims.

"I'm sorry; we just had to calm you down. You were going crazy. It wasn't going to work Mary Jo and you know it." Julia says.

"Maybe I do, but still… I am trying to find the father of this child. You had Hayden to be there for you when you had Payne. I am doing this all alone because I don't know the father. I'm tired of doing this alone!" Mary Jo exclaims.

"What if this guy is happily married with his own family and just donates to help other people?" Carlene asks.

"Well then of course I won't ask him, but if it's possible for him to be in this child's life than I'm going to want him to be." Mary Jo says.

"All he did was donate to a sperm bank, Mary Jo; maybe he doesn't want to be married. For all you know he could be an 18 year old punk kid who doesn't know what he's doing being a father." Julia replies.

"Very true, but what if it is somebody I could spend the rest of my life with?" Mary Jo asks.

"Then I say go for it, but just be careful." Julia replies.

"Thank you." Mary Jo says. She walks over and sits in her chair. "What's on the agenda for today?"

"Oh well we have some different business aspects to take care of. I have to go measure carpets and talk to a few clients about getting accounts with Sugarbakers." Allison says.

"Where's Anthony? I need to apologize to him." Mary Jo asks. Anthony walks in the back door.

"Hi Mary Jo. There's no need to apologize. You were under a lot of stress, and Julia, Carlene, Allison and I didn't help much." Anthony says with a laugh.

"Thank you." Mary Jo replies. Anthony hugs her. Mary Jo picks up the phone off her desk. She dials a number. "Hello? Could I be connected to the Xytex Corporation?" Mary Jo asks. She turns to face Carlene as she waits. "Okay, thank you." Mary Jo waits another few minutes. "Hello, yes. I am Mary Jo Shively; I came in for artificial insemination. I was hoping I could figure out which doctor performed my procedure. Yes, I'll hold." Mary Jo pulls the phone away from her ear. "They are looking for my file." She pulls the phone back to her ear. "Yes, I'm here. Thank you." Mary Jo says writing the doctor's name on a piece of paper. She hangs up the phone. "I am one step closer to finding the father of my child!" Mary Jo exclaims with a smile.


	7. Southern Belle Anger

Mary Jo walks over to the door and grabs her jacket.

"I'm going to the doctor's office. He has files. He can help me find out who the father is." Mary Jo states.

"How do you even know if he still has the file?" Carlene asks. Mary Jo stares at her. "I was just curious. He probably will have the file."

"Yes, he will have the file. He is going to know who the father of this baby is. I am going to meet the father. We will fall madly in love and we'll raise this baby together as a family." Mary Jo replies. "Now, I will be back as soon as I can." Mary Jo opens the door and walks out.

"Carlene," Julia says walking over to her. "don't you think that Mary Jo's idea of how this is all going to work is a little off?"

"Yes. But I tried to talk to her about it. I think she wants this more than we even know." Carlene replies.

"If you want my opinion, I don't think that she should ever find out who the father of her baby is. In fact, this whole plan was a big mistake. I think she should have been happy with the two children she had." Allison states.

"Well Allison, we didn't ask for your opinion and we don't want to hear it." Julia replies putting a paper down on Carlene's desk.

"Fine, but believe me. This will end in disaster." Allison states.

"I never said it wouldn't. All I said was that we didn't ask for your opinion." Julia states with a smile.

_Sperm bank, Atlanta, Georgia_

"Mrs. Shively, as I've told you before we can't give you that information. That is sealed and we aren't supposed to open it." The receptionist says.

"I was informed by the doctor who performed the operation that he could open those files for me!" Mary Jo hollers as she bangs her fist on the table.

"Mrs. Shively!" The receptionist exclaims. "He is not in his office right now and I am not about to invade the privacy of a doctor. You will have to come sometime that he is here and that he can help you."

"Maybe I'll just do that! When is he in again?" Mary Jo asks. An intern walks over to them. She pushes her glasses up.

"Ma'am, he left on vacation about 10 minutes ago." She states.

"How long is his vacation?" Mary Jo asks looking at her.

"About a month. He should be in the office about the 10th of next month." She replies.

"Oh that's just great! I have to wait another month to find out the father of my child! The clock is ticking people, and the longer this clock ticks, the angrier the hen gets!" Mary Jo yells as she storms out of the room.


	8. Breaking Into the Sperm Bank

Mary Jo, Carlene and Anthony are standing outside the sperm bank.

"What am I doing here? I'm so nervous. I could throw up." Carlene said. Mary Jo touched her shoulder.

"Carlene, you're here with me. We have to find the father of this baby." Mary Jo stated. "Are we in yet Anthony?" He turned around and looked at her. He opened the door.

"Yeah, we're in." He said with a smile. They walked in with flashlights. There was a door to a room full of filing cabinets.

"We're never going to make it through all of these files." Carlene said.

"Sure we will. We just have to be dedicated and not worry about anything else." Mary Jo replied. Anthony opened the first filing cabinet and started looking.

"Did you use your name or a fake Mary Jo?" Anthony questioned looking at her.

"Of course I used my own name." Mary Jo replied.

"It looks like these files are in some kind of alphabetical order." Carlene said.

"Yeah, that's usually how they do it Carlene." Mary Jo responded and looked at Anthony. "Remind me to tell Julia not to let Carlene take care of Sugarbakers files anymore. I can handle it. Or we can hire somebody to do it besides Carlene." Anthony nodded.

"Hey, I'm still here. I heard that." Carlene exclaimed.

"Lower your voice and turn on your flashlight and help." Mary Jo said. Carlene opened a drawer and started looking. Mary Jo continued her own search. After a while Anthony gasped.

"What is it?" Mary Jo asked.

"I've found your file!" Anthony said. The door burst opened.

"And I've found you guilty and under arrest for breaking and entering." A police officer said to them. Carlene dropped her flashlight and started whimpering.

"Don't whine Carlene." Mary Jo said patiently. She turned to face Carlene.

"Freeze all of you! And come with me." The officer said. Mary Jo, Anthony and Carlene walk out with their hands over their heads, but Anthony is still holding the manila envelope with Mary Jo's name on it.


	9. Jail time and Phone calls

Mary Jo and Carlene were sitting on the bench in the jail. A woman walked over to sit down. Mary Jo grabbed Carlene and pulled her closer so that the woman could sit.

"Hey, what are you in here for?" Carlene asked. The other woman glared at her. Mary Jo touched her arm.

"Carlene?" She asked and Carlene looked at her. "Remember what we talked about? Keeping to ourselves?"

"I'm sorry." Carlene responded.

"In answer to your questions, unpaid parking tickets. What about you?" The woman asked.

"Oh, we robbed a sperm bank." Carlene said.

"Wow, talk about desperation." The woman replied.

"They had information about my child's father that I need." Mary Jo said.

"Oh, what information did they have?" She asked.

"The name." Mary Jo responded.

"Oh." She said.

"Yeah." Mary Jo said. An officer walked over to them.

"You are each allowed one phone call. I will walk you one by one over to the phone and you call." He explained. He took Carlene's arm and they walked towards the phone. Mary Jo paced.

"I need to call my baby sitter. But what about Julia?" Mary Jo asked.

"It'll be okay. We'll get out of here." Anthony said.

**(at the phone)**

"Here's a dime." The officer tossed it to her. It landed on the table. She picked up the dime.

"I wonder if it costs more for international calls." Carlene thought. She shrugged and picked up the phone. She dialed out. The phone rang three times before a woman finally answered it.

"Hello?" Charlene asked.

"Hey Charlene. It's Carlene." Carlene said.

"What's going on?" Charlene questioned.

"I didn't want to call Mama, but I'm in jail." Carlene stated.

"What?" Charlene exclaimed. She took a deep breath. "Why did you call me? I can't help you."

"I thought maybe you could." Carlene said.

"Carlene, you wasted your one call. But I'll call Bill's lawyer in the states." Charlene responded.

"Thanks." Carlene said and then hung up. The police walked Carlene back to the cell and took Mary Jo to the phone.

"Who'd you call?" Anthony asked.

"I called Charlene." Carlene said.

"What? You called your sister in England? What's she going to do?" Anthony questioned.

"I thought she'd be able to help." Carlene responded. Anthony walked to the other side of the cell.

** (at the phone)**

"Okay ma'am. You've got one call." The officer said. Mary Jo picked up the phone and dialed. Julia answered on the other end.

"Hello?" Julia asked.

"Julia, it's me. I'm sorry for calling so late. Anthony, Carlene and I are in jail." Mary Jo said.

"You cannot be serious. Why doesn't that surprise me?" Julia questioned. She sighed. "Okay, I'll come down and see what I can do to get you out of there."

"Thank you so much. Oh, please call my house and see if the baby sitter can stay with the kids a little while longer." Mary Jo asked.

"I'll be out of here as soon as I call." Julia replied.

"Thanks." Mary Jo said. She hung up the phone and they walked back to the cell. The officer took Anthony away.

"MARY JO! I don't know how much longer I can stand bein' in here!" Carlene exclaimed grabbing Mary Jo's shoulders and shaking her. Mary Jo pulled away.

"Carlene! Get a grip! Do you think I enjoy bein' here? My kids are at home with a baby sitter as I sit in this jail cell waitin' for bail. Now I called Julia and she said she was going to come get us out." Mary Jo said.

"She did?" Carlene asked.

"Yeah, so don't worry just yet. We'll be okay,"

** (at the phone)**

When Anthony walked in an officer walked over to him.

"Hey Bouvier! Haven't seen you in years. What are you doing here?" The officer asked.

"Hey man! Yeah, it's been a long time. Some friends of mine and I were caught breaking and entering. Their idea, not mine." Anthony replied.

"No kidding? There's word 'round here that some man and two women broke into a sperm bank." The officer laughed. Anthony couldn't look at him. He picked up the phone. He dialed and waited. The phone rang three times before a man picked it up.

"Hello officer." The man said.

"Hello." Anthony said.

"Anthony? Is that you?" He asked.

"Yeah." Anthony responded.

"What are you doing at the police station?" He questioned.

"We'll explain that later. Can you come up here so we can talk?" Anthony asked.

"I'm on my way." He replied. They hung up and the officer walked Anthony back to the cell. When they got there he looked at Anthony.

"You ARE the people who broke into the sperm bank aren't you?" He asked. Anthony nodded miserably. "Well we will have to see what happens to you." He walked Anthony into the cell and then left.


	10. Julia Takes the Papers

When Julia, Anthony's former parole officer, and Bill Stillfield's lawyer got to the jail everything was in an uproar.

"We can only take one person for this group!" The officer hollered. "If you aren't a lawyer or clergyman I can't take you back there." Julia walked over to him.

"I am a good friend of those that you have in your care. As well as their boss, would you mind if I spoke with them just through the bars for a moment?" Julia asked. The officer looked at her. This woman was standing in a black, pressed suit, hose, and heels. She spoke elegantly and in a southern dialect, not to mention with perseverance and determination. Who was he to say no to her?

"Yes, you can go. But just for a minute. We need to get the lawyer back to them." He said and then looked at the parole officer. "Who are you?"

"I'm a parole officer. I was here a lot when Anthony Bouvier was in here before. I'm surprised you don't remember me. Anyway, when can we see the accused?"

"Just as soon as this lady gets back from seeing them." He stated and looked at Julia. She looked back and then walked down through the cells, with catcalls and men hollering at her as she walked down the aisles. Julia was used to these immature actions and rolled her eyes as she got to the cell where Anthony, Carlene and Mary Jo were. Anthony was pacing back and forth. Carlene and Mary Jo were both sitting on a bench. Mary Jo and Anthony both rushed towards her when she walked over. Carlene remained sitting on the bench.

"What'd you find out? Are they letting us out?" Anthony asked. Julia's heels clicked on the cold cement floor.

"The officers have yet to discuss what they are going to do regarding bail or anything of that nature. Charlene's lawyer and your parole officer are here. They will be talking with you when I leave." Julia stated.

"When you leave? Where are you going?" Mary Jo asked. Julia looked down at Mary Jo; her pointed nose was facing straight at Mary Jo. Her face had the usual "Julia Sugarbaker, Terminator" expression that the Sugarbaker's team knows not to mess with.

"I am going home. I need to be getting ready for work tomorrow. I told you not to break into that place didn't I? So what happens to you happens." Julia went to face Anthony. "Where are the papers that you guys got from the office?"

"The officer at the desk took them from me when we got in here." Anthony replied.

"Julia? What are you doing?" Mary Jo asked.

"You'll see." Julia replied. "I will make sure they don't keep you longer than you should be here." With that Julia turned around and went over to the officer, the parole officer and the lawyer. "Officer, I would like those papers that were confiscated from my coworkers."

"No can do ma'am. Those are evidence." The officer said.

"Listen to me; I pay my taxes which pays your salary. Besides breaking into that bank they have done nothing wrong. If I say I want those papers, I better have them or I will turn you and that pathetic badge you wear inside out!" Julia exclaimed. The officer took the file folder off the desk and handed it to her. Julia walked out of the office and headed outside to her car, leaving all three men in awe of her.

[

Later in the morning, Allison and Julia were sitting in the living room.

"What do you have there Julia?" Allison asked.

"This is the information Mary Jo has been looking for." Julia replied without looking up.

"You STOLE this paperwork? Julia, I don't believe you!" Allison exclaimed. Julia looked up at her cousin.

"I didn't steal it, I talked to the officer and he gave it to me." Julia responded. Julia laid the papers she'd already looked through on the coffee table in front of her. She stopped at one particular page.

"What's the matter Julia?" Allison asked.

"This is interesting." Julia said to herself, ignoring Allison's question.

"Well what is it Julia?" Allison questioned again. Julia stood up, and walked over to the door. She grabbed her coat and her purse. "Where are you going?"

"I will be back in a little while; I have an errand I have to run. You can handle the store by yourself. I trust you." Julia said. Julia walked out closing the door behind her.


	11. The Apartment

Julia had gotten out of her car and walked up to the apartment building that was listed on the papers she was holding. She found the number rather easily. She looked around and saw a lot of infant and young child toys in the yard.

_"This man has a family? I told Mary Jo she shouldn't have gone looking for him, but since was does anybody listen to me?" _Julia thought to herself as she knocked on the door. She stood there a minute before a young woman about Payne's age opened the door.

"Hello?" The woman asked.

"Hello. My name is Julia Sugarbaker. Can I come in?" Julia questioned.

"Sure. I guess." The woman said confused. Julia walked into the woman's house and closed the door behind her. "What'd you say your name was?"

"I'm Julia Sugarbaker. I own Sugarbakers and Associates, the decorating firm on the other side of town." Julia stated. The woman sat down. A little girl walked over carrying a miniature toy poodle. The little girl climbed onto the woman's lap.

"Oh, I've heard of your little business. I go past there a lot. I see your sign. But what does your business have to do with me?" The woman questioned.

"One of my business partners was artificially inseminated about eight months ago. The doctor didn't tell her the father's name, but we were able to get his address from this paper." Julia said and handed her the papers. The woman looked at them and then looked back up at Julia.

"I'm sorry, I wish I could help you; but I'm a single mother, I don't have a husband and my father doesn't live with me. Plus, we just moved in last week. We haven't even had a chance to unpack all the boxes." The woman said.

"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'm just trying to locate this man for my friend, I guess I didn't realize." Julia started to say. Another girl walked into the living room. This girl looked like she was about twelve, where the other girl was either three or four.

"Oh I don't mean to be rude. Julia Sugarbaker, I'm Meredith, this is my daughter Sarah." Meredith said putting her hand on the younger girl. "And that's my daughter Abby." Abby waved a half wave at Julia.

"Well Meredith, I didn't mean to take up so much of your time. I will just be going now." Julia stood up and walked over to the door. Julia walked out of the door and closed it behind her. She walked back over to the car and drove across town to her home. When she went inside, Alison was still there.

"Okay Julia. Now do you want to explain to me what the big deal was about you storming out of here like a mad woman?" Alison asked.

"I have the address for the father of Mary Jo's baby." Julia stated. Alison sat on the edge of her chair.

"WHAT? I thought we specifically agreed that we weren't going to get in the way between Mary Jo and this situation." Alison said.

"You may have that, but I told Mary Jo I'd help her anyway that I can. I just think that we aren't supposed to find out who this baby's father is." Julia said.

"Why not?" Alison asked.

"I went to the address that is in the paperwork, and a single mother with two children moved into that apartment last week. I just think maybe we aren't supposed to find it out." Julia stated. Alison crossed her legs.

"That's what it sounds like Julia."


	12. JD's Address

The next day, Mary Jo, Carlene, Anthony, Julia and Alison were sitting in the office. Mary Jo had been looking through the papers Julia got yesterday and she couldn't believe it.

"I don't believe it. I do not believe this." Mary Jo stated.

"Don't believe what?" Carlene asked.

"The address on these papers. I just can't believe it." Mary Jo said.

"Mary Jo, do you mind explaining to the group why you can't believe it? When I went there it was just a woman and her two children." Julia stated.

"Julia, I can't believe you didn't recognize it. Remember when we went to see J.D. before he moved to Cincinnati?" Mary Jo asked. Julia nodded.

"Yes I remember." Julia replied.

"Well this is his address. He lived in this apartment about a year or so ago." Mary Jo said.

"What? How is that possible?" Julia questioned.

"It just is. I don't believe it. Could it really be? Before he left for Cincinnati I asked him about the two of us having a child because we'd been close and even contemplated that idea when we were together years ago. I wonder how I didn't know or why he didn't tell me about this." Mary Jo said.

"He might not have known that you'd be the one that would choose his description. If you remember you didn't have names of men on the list. You had numbers and characteristics." Julia stated.

"True. Here I'm going to call him and see if he's given any donations lately." Mary Jo said. She walked over to the phone, picked up the phone and dialed. She waited patiently. "Hello?" She paused. "Hi. Remember me?" She laughed. "Yeah, well I was calling because I had a question to ask you. When we talked about having a child together, oh say a year or so ago and we decided not to, you didn't decide to give any kind of donation did you?" She paused. "Well, the reason I asked is because I found the papers from when I was inseminated and it had the address of your old apartment. So it wasn't you? Okay, if you're sure. Well how are you doing anyway?" She paused for a really long time. "Oh that's good. I'm glad. Tell the kids I said hi next time you have them. Bye." Mary Jo hung up the phone.

"What'd he say?" Carlene asked.

"He said that it wasn't him. He said he didn't know how his old address ended up on it. He's happily married. He's been married about two months." Mary Jo said.

"That's odd. Could anybody have lived in his apartment? I mean if he moved out months ago and this woman has only lived there for a week or so, it could have been somebody else who lived in the building between those times." Carlene stated.

"True. I will have to look into who lived in that building." Mary Jo replied.

"Who could it be?" Anthony asked.

"I don't know, but I intend to find out."


	13. The Answer

**A/N: First of all, I want give a special apology to a close Fanfiction friend, Ms Sand n' Sable because I haven't written on this story for years. I want to thank her for everything she's done thus far for me and always being there for support in not just my writing, but all aspects of life. THANK YOU! Onto the final chapter of **_**Finding the Father. **_** I hope this chapter is as fulfilling and interesting as you might have anticipated. **

"It's here! It's here!" Carlene exclaimed as she walked in the office that afternoon. Julia looked up from her desk.

"What's here Carlene?" Julia asked.

"The letter!" She said excitedly. Julia took off her reading glasses and put them on her desk before she walked over to Carlene's desk.

"Carlene, what is it that you are talking about?" Carlene handed Julia the letter. The name on the envelope was typed out: _Mary Jo Shively_. Julia looked up at her.

"We can't open this letter." Julia stated. Carlene nodded.

"I know that. I was just saying that it was here. I didn't suggest opening Mary Jo's mail." Carlene stated appalled. Julia looked at her.

"So what were you saying?" Julia questioned. Carlene shrugged.

"I was just happy for Mary Jo because it's finally here." Julia rubbed her head.

"I'm getting a headache. What's the letter for anyway?"

"It's the disclosement papers! We are finally going to know who the father of Mary Jo's baby is." Carlene stated.

"Oh! That's fantastic! I'm glad to hear that." Julia said. Allison walked over from the kitchen.

"Do you think it's wise for Mary Jo to find out who the father of her child is? I mean she's the one who decided to have a child in a clinic having no clue who the father is. She should have to suffer the consequences as they are." Allison stated. They both looked at her.

"Allison, Mary Jo probably won't even know who the father is. She just wants a name." Carlene replied. Allison shook her head.

"I don't think that this was a proper idea anyway." Julia hit her fist on the table.

"Allison, I am sick and tired of your criticizing the move of every person here. You are not the wonderful person you think you are! You drive everybody crazy! And I demand that you close your mouth or I will rip your tongue out!" Julia hollered. Allison glided over to Julia. The top of her blonde hair was just barely under Julia's nose.

"And why should I do that?" Allison asked, trying to be intimidating. Julia titled her chin to where she was right up in Allison's face.

"Because I'm your boss, your cousin and I know places to hide a body that the FBI would never find it." Julia threatened without skipping a beat. Allison's eyes got really big, but she didn't say anything. She didn't want Julia to know how intimidating that she could be. During their stare down, the front door opened. Carlene looked at the door and in walked Mary Jo.

"Hey Mary Jo."

"Hi." Mary Jo said. She looked at Julia and Allison. "What's going on here?" Mary Jo motioned towards Julia and Allison. Julia turned around and walked over to her.

"Nothing. I just got Allison to quit criticizing people here at Sugarbakers. At least for a while." Julia looked down at her elfin cousin.

"Okay?" Mary Jo asked and walked over to the couch and sat down.

"How are you doing?" Carlene asked walking over and sitting in a chair next to her. Mary Jo just looked at her.

"You've never had children have you Carlene?" Mary Jo asked. Carlene stared at her for several minutes before she shook her head no.

"No, Dwayne wasn't able to have kids." Carlene said. Allison was flipping through a design catalogue.

"Well, at least there was one gift for the human race. Your family wasn't able to reproduce in at least one way." She said casually. Julia whirled around.

"ALLISON!" Julia exclaimed. Carlene ignored her comment. Anthony walked in the front door.

"They said his sperm wasn't right or something." Anthony took one look at her and stopped in his tracks.

"Aww man! Why do I always walk into weird conversations with you? Can't y'all have a normal conversation once and a while?" Anthony asked. Then he walked towards the back door. Julia walked over and stopped him.

"Wait," Julia walked over to him. "Did you take the curtains over to Mrs. Bridgeton?" Anthony nodded.

"Yeah, now I'm on my way to take Bernice her new sofa."

"She ordered another sofa?" Carlene asked. Anthony nodded.

"Oh Mary Jo!" Carlene looked up, remembering the letter that came in the mail. "Something came in the mail for you today." Mary Jo tried to adjust herself on the couch.

"What?" Carlene walked over to the desk and picked up the white envelope. She handed it to Mary Jo. Mary Jo looked down at it and then put it next to her on the couch.

"What?" Julia asked watching Mary Jo carefully.

"I just don't know. I mean, I did all this that way the father didn't have to be involved. As soon as I know his name, he WILL be involved. In my mind, even if he's not here." Mary Jo replied. Allison walked over and grabbed the letter off the couch.

"Allison, you put that down right now." Julia said sternly.

"Come on Julia! Somebody has to open it." Allison said. "Carlene, Mary Jo and Anthony went to jail to find this guy's name and now that she has it in her possession she decides not to open it?" Julia walked over to Allison.

"That may be the case, but it will still be Mary Jo's decision-" she grabbed the letter from Allison's hands, "-whether or not this envelope gets opened." Julia held it in her hands, half tempted to open it herself. Mary Jo nodded.

"You're right." She said. "You're all right. I need to open this letter. With everything that you all went through for me to get this letter and find out the father of my child." Mary Jo held the letter in her hands before she delicately opened the envelope. She laid it in her lap and her eyes skimmed over the letter. After a few minutes she put the letter on her lap. Her mouth fell open.

"What is it? Who is it?" Carlene asked.

"Mary Jo?" Julia questioned. Mary Jo didn't speak or move. She just sat there and the letter fell off her lap. Before it could even hit the floor, Allison rushed over and grabbed it. She read it and gasped.

"Allison! That's none of your business!" Julia exclaimed.

"I know who it is." She teased Carlene. She crossed her arms.

"I don't need to know. Mary Jo will tell me if she wants me to know. I'm not a busybody Allison." Carlene stated and Allison glared at her. She crossed her arms.

"What I don't understand is, why does this guy have the same name as you anyway?" Allison asked looking at Mary Jo. She finally came out of her fog and looked up at Allison. Carlene crossed her legs.

"The same name as you? Is it your father? Your brother?" Carlene asked. Julia touched her forehead with her hand.

"Mary Jo, please tell me it's not who I think it is." Julia said. Mary Jo shook her head.

"I wish I could. I wish I could." She said that over and over.

"Who is it?" Carlene asked. Allison smiled a crooked smile and Julia looked over at her.

"Not a word." Carlene looked between Julia, Allison and Mary Jo.

"Would somebody please tell me what's going on?" Mary Jo grabbed the letter out of Allison's hand.

"Carlene, when I first decided to have a baby, I was going to have a child with a guy I used to see a lot of."

"J.D." Carlene nodded. Mary Jo nodded.

"That's right." She paused. "But after a while we both decided that it would be too weird for both of us because we weren't together anymore and that's when I decided to go with the sperm bank. Anybody can give sperm to a sperm bank; but I never realized in a million years that he gave." Mary Jo said and looked up at Julia.

"They make money for doing that Mary Jo. I'm sure that's why he did it." Julia replied.

"What?" Carlene asked. Mary Jo sighed and looked at her best friend.

"Carlene, these papers say that the father of my child is Theodore P. Shively."

"Ted? Ted Shively? He's the father of your child?" Julia and Mary Jo both nodded in unison without saying anything.

"After ten years, I thought I was free of him, but he's back in my life." She sighed.

"But he doesn't know that. He never has to know Mary Jo." Julia replied.

"He's my ex-husband, I'd feel horrible for him not knowing that he had a child in this world that he doesn't know about." Julia looked down her nose at Mary Jo.

"With his record Mary Jo, I'm sure he has a lot of children he doesn't know about." Julia replied.

"You're right." Mary Jo nodded. "I just can't believe it. What are the chances that I would randomly pick out the profile of my ex-husband?"

"I don't know; but at least it's a man you know and have been with and know what he's like."

"That's what I'm afraid of." She said to herself. "Well, I finally found the name." She looked around. "You know what? I thought this would satisfy all my questions and worry about having this baby and you know what?" She paused.

"What?" Carlene asked. Mary Jo laughed.

"It doesn't. It doesn't satisfy one thing." Mary Jo stood up and walked out of the room. Carlene looked at Julia.

"What's the matter? I thought this is what she wanted." Julia looked at her.

"It was, but now that she's got her answer she isn't sure this is what she wanted after all." Julia replied. "Sometimes it's just best to leave things the way they are." Carlene nodded in agreement.

**A/N: Thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed this story and that the answer to this puzzle was as interesting for you as it was for me… I thought it was kind of funny and ironic to end it this way. Hope you liked it! If you did please review! **** If you didn't review anyway and explain why**


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